Never Say You're Sorry
by 99 CDN
Summary: NCISCSI Miami crossover: A case causes Gibbs's gut to churn, but why? Is it an old quote he said to KAte came back to get him or is the fact that suspicions of her death arise? Kibbs. R
1. Hawaii here we come!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, it's Post Twilight but not in a way that you would think...wink wink.

**Chap.1**

Abby waltzed into the lab on the rainy Saturday morning, her clothes drenched to the core and her pigtails stuck to her cheeks like a second skin. She sighed as she shredded off her long cloak onto her chair and went over to the sink to ring out her pigtails. After satisfied they made a puddle he went over to her CD player and slid in Linken Park. As she scrolled through the menu of songs she didn't notice Gibbs come in with her daily intake of 'Caf Pow'. He opened his mouth to speak when the song blared through the speakers causing his ears to ring.

"ABBY!" He yelled quickly setting down his drink to cup his ears from the offensive noise.

Abby swirled around and looked at him expectantly as if her increase on music was normal.

"TURN IT OFF!" He shouted so his voice would be overheard over the chorus of 'Numb'.

Abby cupped her ears as well and returned to his attention.

"WHAT I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" She yelled back amused but faking it in pure enjoyment as she turned around.

Tony chose that time to come in. He looked over at his boss and gothic lab tech as they shouted back and forth when there was no sound in the room at all.

He leaned against the door jamb and stared at them.

"ABBY TURN THE MUSIC DOWN IT'S TOO LOUD!" Gibbs shouted his back to Tony.

Abby giggled and yelled back with a huge grin on her face.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU GIBBS THE MUSIC IS TOO LOUD!"

Ziva walked in the room and was about to speak when Gibbs's shouting stopped her in mid stride.

"What is he doing?" She asked as her accent glide through her words as she leaned against the other doorjamb and watched the transaction back and forth.

"He thinks the music is still on, and Abby, well she's just being Abby." Tony said as he chuckled at the exchange.

"You think we should bail him out?" Ziva asked as she too let out an amused giggle but quickly stifling it with the back of her hand.

Tony rolled his eyes and looked distressed.

"You tell him, no offense but I prefer my life intact." Tony said chuckling.

Ziva sighed and walked over to her boss and tapped him on the shoulder.

Gibbs turned around and lowered his hands and looked back at Abby.

"Okay what was that for?" He asked as he saw a smile appear on her face.

"Ohh I thought it was a game." She replied innocently slurping away at her daily intake of caffeine.

The corner of Gibbs's mouth raised in pure amusement as he turned back to where Ziva and Tony were. Ziva was covering her mouth, and Tony shaking in laughter. Gibbs walked straight up to Tony until they're noses were inches apart. Tony gulped quickly and stared hopefully showing the least amount of fear possible.

"Find something amusing DiNozzo?" He asked with authority. In the background Ziva turned towards Abby and they began to sign.

"_How much do you bet Tony's going to pee his pants?" _Abby said her gestures pure and expertly done.

"_I'd say as much as a chance Gibbs gets another wife." _Ziva replied her gestures rough and confusing.

"_I bet you 20 bucks he'll do it in the next 15 seconds." _Abby said as a smile appeared on both her mouth and Ziva's. They had finally come upon an agreement about their so called relationship. Ziva wouldn't scout around for brownie points and Abby wouldn't treat her like a newbie on their first drug bust.

Abby held out her hand and Ziva looked around quickly at her boss ranting on about principle morals and such. Tony on the other was close to tearing up, often resulting in biting his lower lip. She shook the offered hand and gave it a good shake and they both slid behind the desk of computers and stared behind the computer's monitor.

Jenny Shepard briskly walked down the stairs leading to the lab, she preferred it that way, it was a sure detail she had to go through to be able to fit in her swimsuit. She took a bite out of her apple and ran a hand through her short pixie hair cut and absently whipped the juice from the corner of her mouth. When she reached the bottom of the stairs and went through the door she could faintly make out Gibbs's 'authority' voice he'd like to call it. She smiled faintly wondering who was the up the Shit Creek without a paddle. Turning the corner she smiled when she noticed the young agent shaking like a leaf and about ready to run off with his tail between his legs.

"Jethro, Honolulu PD's on MTAC waiting for your appearance." She said. The whole content of the room turned towards the door and they all paused the activity they were going through.

Jethro straightened up and flipped his lapels to his grey sports coat up so it caressed his neck as he strode towards The Director, as he passed her he snatched the apple from her hands and took a big bite out of it and replaced it in her prestigious manicured fingers. He continued his way to the elevator never looking back.

Once in he walked over to the control panel and switched the emergency lights off and the elevator screeched to a halt. He stood there waiting a little, half expecting someone to somehow burst inside and ruin his precious solitude.

Satisfied no one was coming he reached into his coat and took out an old rumpled picture from the pocket on the inside and stared at it as he sat down on the cold floor and leaned his head back against the cold steel wall.

He sighed and dragged a hand through his silver hair as thoughts of his Special Agent flowed through his thoughts.

Glancing in his palm was a little pocket picture he had created manually. Kate was there laughing at something that Tony had said, she had just finished being undercover and was completely disheveled; her hair was halfway out of its pony tail, her face was tarnished with dirt and her suit rumpled and ripped, but she still she had the will to smile the smile he fell in love with all those years ago. He sighed and leaned his head against the cold interior of the elevator and shut his eyes.

He missed Caitlin Todd a lot since she had left them, taking an extra bullet for Gibbs and saving his sorry ass life in which he had nothing to live for…at least not anymore now that she left.

He had stared at that same picture over and over again when he felt the way he felt today. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out by his mouth. He stood up and walked over to the door panel and flicked the 'Stop' switch hastily.

Pocketing the rumpled picture he fixed his appearance and gently rolled his neck side to side in an attempt to regain his cool.

The elevator beeped and he stepped out, he headed towards his desk, picked up his coffee and immediately headed over to MTAC.

The room was poorly lit; better to communicate by Video Conference. Gibbs made his way down the ramp and an operator gave him a headset, in which he placed on his head roughly and turned around to motion with a nod that he was ready to start.

The operator nodded and punched in a few keys and the picture of a man in a Hawaiian red shirt, overly tanned face came on screen.

"Aloha Special Agent Gibbs," The man said in a very heavy Hawaiian accent.

Gibbs nodded his head in salutation and the other man pressed on. "The reason of which I've asked of this meeting is because we got wind over her that you were the one to call about Terrorist Cell and Smuggle Rings,"

Those four words caught Gibbs attention and he blindly backed up and sat on the closest chair.

"You have my attention Captain,"

"Good, now here's the situation, we have recently discovered a Elite Team of smugglers based in the heart of Honolulu, two of my best agents are currently undercover and have come to the conclusion that this Smuggle Ring is based on Biohazard Weapons and Nuclear Weapons as well," he paused in his words to let what he said sink in. "I'm sending you an attachment of the party involved,"

Pictures began to pop up; five in total. Gibbs squinted his eyes at each one, burning their faces into his mind. He took down all the names on a pad in his hand and pocketed the notebook back inside his jacket.

"To prevent a catastrophe from happening Special Agent Gibbs we are requesting that your team and another present themselves in Hawaii and help take down the Cell and to assure that our Undercover Ops remain safe," his request finished and was awaiting the older man's answer.

"So, what I understood is that you want my team's help to take down the Cell and baby-sit two Agents? Did I get it all correctly?" Gibbs's eyes narrowed to disturbing slits as he observed the man across the screen.

Hawaiian shirt laughed for a good 2 minutes then regained his cool.

"She told me to expect this Gibbs, and quite frankly I now understand where she gets it from," the man said seriously as he shifted through some paper at his desk and rearranged the pile.

"She? Captain?"

"Oh, my female agent on the field undercover, she also told me to replay you a message if you chose to disincline my request,"

"I'm sorry Captain but I don't understand,"

"Never say you're sorry, it's a sign of weakness,"

Gibbs froze in spot he could speak, move or even think at the moment, that quote hit him hard.

"Do I now have you undivided attention?" Hawaiian shirt asked immensely amused.

Gibbs coughed and cleared his throat and looked everywhere but the man carrying a smile on his face.

"All right I'm glad, now I require you're team and those of CSI Miami to meet down in Honolulu there you will meet our Special Ops Operators and be briefed extensively," the older said as his once bemused smile turned into a serious line and stared ahead.

"Al..all right, we'll be there," Gibbs turned his head and nodded at the operator to caught the line. In one swift motion he whipped of the headphones and through them across the desk and jogged out of MTAC. Something was gravely wrong and he knew it; deep down in his gut something was not as it seemed, and he'd be damned if he just let it fly by without finding what the cause was.


	2. All Aboard!

**Chap 2.**

Gibbs made his way down the stairs to find his team more or less working at the desks. Tony was building a tower with post-it notes and pens, while McGee was getting caught up with some paperwork while Ziva was talking on the phone and jotting down notes.

"McGee; gas up the truck, Ziva get the gear, we're going to Hawaii," was all he said before grabbing his overnight bag from bellow his desk and swinging over his shoulder and heading for the elevator.

"We're going to Hawaii!" Tony declared as he swiveled his chair around and tore open the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet behind him and took his own duffel.

As he met up with the rest of his team in the lift he notched off all the hotspots.

"Surfing, deep sea diving, the beaches, and the babes," he said as he leaned against the metal wall and slipped on his glasses as if he could feel the sun on his face already.

When they stepped on the 'Parkade' they all jogged ahead to catch up with Gibbs.

"So what's the case boss?" McGee asked as he opened the back door and let Ziva go in first and he got in. Barely giving them enough time to close their doors Gibbs zoomed through the tunnels and bolted up the ramp; nearly missing the rising bar.

"We do have a case, right Gibbs?" Ziva intercepted as everyone hung on for their life as their boss tore through the streets leading to the Airport.

"Yes, we have a case," Gibbs answered losing his patience ever so slowly, he hated to be kept out the loop especially one that he knew would open up some new wounds he thought were healed.

"Which is?" Tony added in as he treaded in deep water.

Gibbs didn't answer he merely scowled and made a sharp turn to his right across two lanes to reach the right 'exit'.

"I don't have the details DiNozzo that's why we're going to Hawaii, all I know is that it has something to do with Terrorist Cells and Smuggle Rings," He stopped talking to let the new information seep into his fellow subordinates as he drove on; his eyes never leaving the road. "We're going to be partnered with the CSI team in Miami, from what I gather the case has something to do with them as well," he finished briskly as he made the final turn off and entered the 'Military Airstrip'. He brought his Sedan to a screeching halt, took out the keys and was already out the door and striding with big steps towards the only aircraft on the strip.

Tony, Ziva and McGee trudged on at a fast pace to keep up with their fearless leader.

The minute they stepped on the plane Tony was in pure joy. It was a private Airliner. Plush red carpets, tan leather recliners chairs, oak furniture and a plasma TV towards the 'Cockpit' area.

"Hawaii, babes and a Private Jet…can you say Aloha!" he exclaimed as he threw his bags in the overhead compartment and hunkered down on the nearest couch and brought his cap to cover his eyes and laid down for a brief siesta.

When they were well in the air, Gibbs secluded himself and sat down in at the back of the plane where he took out McGee's laptop from its pouch and waved it over his head.

"McGee?" he asked as the younger Agent turned around and cringed at the sight of his computer lingering at a high level above his boss's head. "Can I use this?" he asked politely with a hint of sarcasm.

McGee gulped as Ziva looked up from viewing land 30 000 ft beneath her feet, Tony looked up from his bole of instant noodles; a waterfall of them still cascading out of his mouth and into the Styrofoam bole.

"Okay, but don't…" McGee began as he lifted up his hands as if to ward off some psychopath.

"Drop it," Ziva finished for him as she unscrewed the cap of her water bottle before taking a long sip.

"And slamming it on the desk will not make it load faster," Tony added as he slurped in the noodles and quipped his latest comment before taking in another forkful.

Gibbs rolled his eyes and sat down and loaded it up.

"I don't slam it on the desk DiNozzo…it's usually on the floor before I get to that point," Gibbs said with a small smirk playing dangerously close to the corner of his lips.

McGee paled noticeably and loosened his tie before hunkering down in the seat and sighing as if he would never see that computer again.

Gibbs rubbed his hands together as the computer booted up before he double clicked into NCIS Software and accessed the Search files. With slow typing ability he typed in 'Special Agent Caitlin Todd'. Waiting for it load up he leaned back in his recliner and closed his eyes for a moment to relax, for some reason he knew this would be a battle he would most likely lose to and willed himself to hold it together.

A small beep declared that it had found the requested files and Gibbs straightened up before he pulled out a small black case from his jacket pocket and put on his wire framed glasses. He blew out some steam and read the links. He clicked on the first one and was welcomed with a file with the picture of the young agent at the top. He could feel his eyes glaze over as he scrolled down to hide her picture and begin to read bits and pieces:

_Special Agent Caitlin Rose Todd was gunned down by Mossad Assassin Ari Haswari on August 10 2004. Records claim the hit came from two buildings over and committed with a Sniper Riffle gun shot to the head._

Gibbs leaned in and blinked as he scrolled down lower and read some more, important words jumping off the page at him.

_**Autopsy Results were banned** and brought into **Federal Bureau of Investigation**, the funeral was **closed casket** as onlookers mourned their friend, daughter and co-worker._

Gibbs's eyes squinted as he read the last line; he desperately tried to remember if her funeral was indeed closed casket and that he had never received the Autopsy Results. His head snapped up when the memory snapped back to him. He brought a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes as he pressed the 'back' icon and clicked on the next link named 'Autopsy Results' the window began to load as Gibbs leaned on his elbows intense on the screen when it flashed with an 'Alert' window.

'**_Federal Bureau of Investigation Personnel Authorization Only,' _**in a swift movement Gibbs slammed the laptop shut and got up from his seat in fury, and ran both hands through his hair in frustration. From the front of the plane McGee flinched at the crumbling noise while Tony jumped from his seat where he had begun to fall asleep and Ziva jumped up and unsheathed her gun and pointed to Gibbs.

Gibbs gave her one look and she quickly sheathed it back at her hip and ran her hands through her hair and shook out her ponytail before re-doing it; this, Gibbs noticed, was usually done when she was under a great deal of pressure or she was stressed.

"What's up boss?" Tony asked as he yawned and sat a little straighter in his recliner.

"Nothing," he quipped as he sat down once more and gripped the arms of the chair until his knuckles were a light shade of white and he closed his eyes tightly as images, memories of Kate flooded his mind.

The smile she only gave him when she had solved a case or found a piece of key evidence, the way she could make Tony act up like they were brother and sister at a snap of a finger, the way her and Tony would treat McGee as a Probie and give him hell, the way her dark hair tinted red in the sunlight when the rays would glint off them, the way she would not back down on a hunch even if someone held a gun to her face, the way she wouldn't take his bullshit and stand for people who would treat her different for her gender, and the way she would cringe her face in disgust when he would give her some of his special coffee.

All the memories made him smile genuinely for the first time since her death two years ago.

"'Nothing' wouldn't make you slam McGee laptop close," Ziva said as she walked the length of the plane until palm trees and pure blue water came into view before she sat down and gazed out the window amazed and in awe.

Gibbs had opened an eye when she stopped her rant and shut it when he noticed she didn't continue.

A voice came over the intercom along with the 'Seatbelt' button lighting up above their heads.

"_Buckle up guys we're coming into Miami and will begin to land shortly," _The captain said as everyone put on their buckles and poked their head at the windows. All Gibbs could do was take out his wallet and look at the portable picture of Kate he would always carry around everywhere he went. He sighed and tucked it back in his wallet before he too looked down at the view.

**Author's Note: **_Hey fellow fanfickers hope you like this chapter, and don't worry everything will make sense in the chapter to come. Hope you like it, you know what to do: press that beautiful purple button and tell me your thoughts. Brit xox_


	3. Meeting the team

**Disclaimer: **_A little Twilight recall, I'm sorry it pained me too to write it._

**Chap 3**

As they descended towards Miami International Tony could make out the outline of 4 people standing on the side. From what he say he knew that the red-headed man in front was their boss, his stance of authority told him that much. They all waited patiently for the doors to open before everyone got up and waited by the door for their partners' entrance.

Gibbs remained sitting down as he looked everyone head to foot to size them up. The leader; a tall red-head man in a light blue dress shirt and black trousers boarded first, followed closely by a 5'3 platinum blonde woman wearing a red thick strap tank top and white capris; she of course caught Tony's eyes the minute he saw her seafoam green eyes. Behind her came a tall and well-built Cuban with buzzed dark hair wearing a black t-shirt and cargo pants. The last one to board was a tall yet skinny man with well-kempt brown hair, a dark green sports coat and black trousers.

"You must be the team from Washington?" Horatio inquired in a voice filled with authority and strength. Gibbs got up from his seat and made his way over and held out a hand.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs," he said as the red-headed man stretched out a hand of his own and gave Gibbs's a good squeeze.

"Horatio Caine," he replied with a nod before letting go and introducing the rest of his team.

"This is Calleigh Duquesne," he said placing a hand on her lower back.

"Hey ya'll," she said in a heavy southern accent and a charming smile that sent DiNozzo's heart pounding.

"Eric Delko," he said going down the line of CSIs as he pointing the Cuban.

"Hi," he said bringing up his hand for salute.

"and last but not least Ryan Wolfe," he said as he pointed to the last of his group and they all shuffled in, put their luggage where the others were and took a seat.

As Gibbs closed the door he pointed to Tony.

"This is Special agent Anthony DiNozzo,"

Tony smiled at Calleigh and nodded.

"You can call me Tony,"

Gibbs rolled his eyes at the sight of his agent falling head over heals for the bombshell blond and continued over to his female agent.

"Special Agent Ka…Ziva David," he said correcting himself as he ran a hand through his short cropped hair.

"Hey," Ziva said getting up and shaking everyone's hand.

"And lastly, Special Agent Timothy McGee," he finished as he took his seat which was beside Horatio's and buckled up.

"NCIS anything like CSI?" Ryan asked as he too got settled beside Tony.

Tony, Ziva and McGee looked at each other before they answered in unison.

"Only if you're dyslexic," Horatio let out a low chuckle at the comment.

"It stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service," McGee explained as he got comfortable in his seat and closed his eyes before intertwining his fingers on his stomach and slowly drifting off.

From where Calleigh was sitting beside Ziva they were caught up in a discussion of there own.

"How long have you been in NCIS?" Calleigh asked as she brought up one foot underneath her and got comfortable.

Ziva scratched her hairline and thought for a moment.

"Two years, you?" she asked with little interest.

"Just about 6, so what is it you guys do?" Eric shot from where he was sitting directly beside Calleigh and gently leaning against her.

"Basically the same thing you guys do, except we only investigate naval crime scenes instead of civilian. We do the collecting of evidence, the interrogation, the analyzing, the only thing we don't do is go to court," Tony explained as he was staring at Calleigh the whole time.

Gibbs and Horatio were staring at their subordinates for a while before either of them said anything.

"How is this case related to you?" Gibbs asked with a little bit of edge to his voice as he sized up the redhead beside him with an expert eye.

"I have no idea in the faintest, all we were told was that there was a Smuggling Ring and Bioweapons were involved somehow and that are assistance were needed, and you?" Horatio explained as he took off his sunglasses and gently tucked them in his breast pocket and placing his arms on the armrests.

"Basically the same thing, so you have dealt with this kind of thing before?" Gibbs inquired still trying to size him up to see if he was of the valor he heard of.

"Once in a while," Horatio said before he squinted his eyes a bit and leaned in. "I understand you're not impressed of the teaming up method, truth is so am I, but let's put our differences aside and play nice shall we?" he said more then asked before he went back to his seat and stared outside.

Gibbs nodded to himself and smiled despite of himself and watched the younger agents for a while before he fell asleep.

6 hours came and past and everyone on the flight was passed out, Calleigh's head was leaning on Eric's and his comfortably settled on hers. Ziva head was held up with a hand, and snoring like a drunken sailor, Tony's head was all the way back; his mouth open and was snoring slightly towards the time where he was falling asleep he had given everyone ear plugs for the sole purpose of sleeping against his female coworkers fog horn. McGee was lopsided in his seat his head ever so often falling down and automatically coming back up. Ryan who was on Ziva's other side had his head in his hands lying on the table in front of them peacefully.

Across the room Horatio's head was cradled in the ledge of the window; his hair matted against the window and his face. Gibbs's head was comfortably settled on the back of the chair, his hands on his stomach; in contrary to everyone else he was having a fitful sleep. Memories of Kate followed him in his wake and in his dreams.

"_Gun!" he heard Kate yell as he turned around a second to late; the assailant had fired his shot and it was going directly in Gibbs's path. _

_At the last minute Kate jumped through the air and took the bullet square in the chest before she was sent back and was sprawled on the cement ground._

_Both Tony and Gibbs emptied their magazines; spraying the terrorist with 6 shots each until they were content he was indeed dead._

_Gibbs went over to his fallen team member and he and Tony turned her around to see her eyes closed and hole in her blouse. In a haste of actions Gibbs tore her blouse open and he and Tony stared at the contrast of the gold bullet against her Kevlar. _

_Kate's eyes scrunched closed and she slowly began to breathe. Tony and Gibbs smiled when she opened her eyes and her two friends helped her up on unsteady feet._

"_How do you feel Kate," Tony asked as held onto her elbow for support._

"_I just got hit by point blank range Tony, how do you think I feel?" she shot back calmly as she took her hand away and ran her hands through her caramel hair and felt her stomach in disbelief._

"_Like you wont be doing Pilates tomorrow," he replied smugly as both he and Gibbs chuckled lightly as they began to slowly make their way to the warehouse doors._

"_The protective detail is over Katie," Gibbs said as he leaned down and picked up his weapon and placed it snuggly in his holster._

"_You did good today Kate," Tony praised her as he got down and picked up his on gun and paced Kate her shot gun she had been using when her Sauer was out of juice._

"_For once…Tony's right," Gibbs replied as he smiled lightly at the expression on Kate's face._

"_Wow I thought I'd be dead befor-" she started with a smile but stopped short when she felt a piercing pain through the front of her head. In an instant of the pain she felt nothing as her life turned to darkness and she fell backwards._

_Blood sprayed against Gibbs's white t-shirt as he grabbed his gun and turned around where the shot came from. _

_Tony it was a different matter her blood was sprayed all over his face as he leaned down by his friend's side and held her in his hands; the only imperfection was a small red dot adorning her forehead._

"_Ari…" he heard Gibbs swear as he saw him fan out his gun before him trying so desperately to see the bastard._

Gibbs jolted up from his sleep in an instant; his face was matted with sweat and his hair damp. Horatio sat up groggily from his uncomfortable spot and massaged out a kink in his neck, he looked over at the older man beside him.

"Are you okay Jethro?" he asked, his voice a little fuzzed up with sleep as he sat upright in his seat still staring at the elder man.

"It's nothing, just a bad dream,"

"Something tells me you have it often,"

"What of it, it doesn't change anything she's gone anyway!" he exclaimed raising his voice a few decibels.

"Sorry, it's not my place," Horatio said withdrawing himself from the conversation.

Gibbs got up hastily and paced a bit in the spacious cabin as he went over to the bathroom and locked himself in it.

He stared at his reflection thoroughly through the mirror before he turned on the cold water and splashed it in his face. He once again looked into the mirror and watched as the water rolled down in beads down his face. He could almost hear Kate tell him if she saw him.

"_Don't be such a Gloomy Gus," _that's what she would tell him; wearing one of her radiant smiles.

"I miss you Katie," he murmured to his reflection in hopes that Kate would somehow come out of it and he would hold her forever. Never letting her go.

He sighed at his own appearance and dried his face with a paper towel and chucked it in the garbage before turning to the door, pausing and turning the handle, stepping back into the cabin where everyone still lay asleep.

He walked by Tony and gave him a slap on the head. He got up in a flash and stood up crookedly.

"Yah boss?" he said rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand.

"You were snoring DiNozzo," he said with a small smile.

"That would be Ziva boss, she snores like a drunken sailor," he pointed towards the curly-haired brunette who was indeed snoring up a storm.

Gibbs chuckled a bit and watched as DiNozzo sat back down and leaned over to where Ziva was sleeping and pinched her nose shut, for a minute he stared at her in amazement as he slept a bit before she gasped for air and woke up; Tony withdrew away and hurriedly leaned back in his chair to pretend to sleep when he felt his leg go numb. He knew Ziva had just given him a Charlie horse and he was in dire pain.

Gibbs and Horatio chuckled a bit from where they sat as they slowly watched the rest of the young investigators wake up slowly.

"Are they always like that?" Horatio asked as he watched Ziva and Tony bantering against each other rather violently.

"It's like breathing for them," Gibbs replied as he watched the Island of Maui approach in the horizon.

Gibbs turned and watched as Tony, Eric and Ryan all leaned in a McGee's still sleeping form; Tony armed with a can of shaving cream in his hand, and Eric armed with a goose feather from his pillow he was able to extract.

In an expert manner Wolfe opened up McGee's hand gently until it was well uncovered and held it that way as Tony pushed on the button and the nozzle release a good blob of shaving cream in the Probie's hand.

When it was well filled they covered their mouths to prevent from laughing out loud. Calleigh and Ziva watched from the sidelines in pure amusement.

"Is he always like that?"

"Like what, that's Tony for you," Ziva replied not taking her eyes from the show in the far corner.

Eric came forwards and gently trailed the feather down his cheek. McGee squinted a bit and moved a little to get comfortable before he settled down again. All three men frowned their distaste and tried again this time Eric trailed the feather down McGee's nose. They were in stitches as McGee brought up his hand and scratched the newly found itch leaving behind a smudge of cream on his face.

Half an hour later when the Captain came over the speaker saying they were making their final descent McGee stretched and opened his eyes before he choked on the cream in his mouth. He coughed as he trailed both hands down his face and scream in surprise. Tony, Eric and Wolfe fell down in laughter at their friend's reaction and gave each other high fives.

**Author's Note: **_I truly enjoyed writing this chapter, it took me a while because I wasn't sure how o approach the meeting of the two teams; hope you enjoyed it._

_Brit x0x_


	4. Roses and Semper Fi

**Chap 4.**

Sara Micheals and her husband Nate Micheals walked through their house picking up the odd ornament and clearing up the house for the company they were scheduled to have.

"All I have to say is that they aren't getting my bed, that's all I want," Nathan said as he handed his wife a sheet that they sprawled over the extra bed down the hall.

"Don't worry darling no one's taking _our_ bed," she said putting emphasis on the 'our'. Nate rolled his eyes and smiled at his wife's wit.

"So how many guests are we talking about?" Nate asked as he tucked the sheet bellow the mattress.

Sara tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear and thought for a second.

"8 in all, really Nate they're our relatives for crying out loud!" She smiled brightly as she tossed him a pillow and placed one at the head of the bed.

"Great," he sighed as he pulled the light comforter over the pillow.

"Jealous are we?" Sara said teasingly as she winked at him as she left the room swaying her hips.

Nate groaned and the corner of his lip went up as he followed her out.

When they reached the living room the façade was over, they knew for a fact that the upstairs was bugged and they needed to play their part, they had debugged the living room and adjoining dining room only.

"You are getting way to use to this," the man said as he regained his seriousness and walked into the kitchen and raided the fridge for two water bottles.

"I do believe I had you blushing, dear," she said teasing him.

He nearly choked on his water.

"Are you kidding me, it's like kissing my sister," he groaned as they sat down and arranged all the files on the table.

"The teams from Miami and DC should be here at any minute, now no more of you holding back giving the people the cold shoulder and treating them like shit," the woman warned him as she went over by the lace-curtained window and looked out over their front yard to the streets.

He let out an amused laugh.

"Me? You're the one that tazered the last guy we had to work with," he said pointing his finger at her accusingly.

"He was unprofessional and disrespectful," she said innocently as they heard a screech of tires burning rubber down the street.

"He touched your ass, so what I do it all the time," he said defending his friend.

"You're my husband, god help me, it's totally irrelevant and you know it," she said and poked him in his chest. He stepped back and rubbed the stop where she assaulted him.

"I am going to need a lot of therapy after being married to you," he complained as he joined her at the window; seeing their neighbors waving; for appearances embraced her from behind and kissed her neck affectionately before waving back.

"Funny, I was about o say the same thing about you," she said smartly as they saw to cars rolled down the street slowly passing their house and going around the cul-de-sac.

The woman rolled her eyes and nudged the man in the chest.

"I like them already, they have the same lack of direction as my husband," she teased walking once more into the kitchen, chugged her water before tossing it in the overflowing recycle basket. "Hey darling, could you be a dear and bring the recyclables in the garage before our guests arrive?" she asked angelically batting her eyelashes at her partner.

"Put the recyclables in the garage dear," he mimicked using a much higher voice and crossing his eyes as he made his way down the hallway carting a blue recycle bin in his wake.

The woman rolled her eyes and headed for the door as she heard the car doors slam from the driveway.

XoX

"Wow check out the beach house," Tony said as he pulled out his duffel and carried it over his shoulder.

"And the beach behind it," Calleigh cooed as she rolled her carry-on bag towards the side of the house to get a better view of the ocean.

"No wonder we're coming here, the place is huge!" Ziva exclaimed as she stepped onto the walkway to get in line behind her boss as they all headed up towards the door. Horatio whistled slightly as they all approached the wooden oak doors.

"I could definitely get use to this," Horatio said approvingly as he shouldered his bag and joined the rest on the walkway.

"Oh yah," Gibbs said as he looked up the height of the house.

"Hey Gibbs wonder if you could fit your boat in the living room," Tony laughed as they met up on the fashionable porch.

"Boat?" Ryan asked with words as the rest of the Miami team met the Special Agents eyes with questionable glances of their own.

Tony smiled and was about to respond when the back of his head was met with the well-known and well-feared hand of doom belonging to his boss. His face scrunched up and was met with smiles from everyone around.

Horatio and Gibbs turned around and knocked on the door. They waited for a second before a woman wearing a bright smile greeted them.

"Can I help you?" she asked sweetly. She had long layered strawberry blond hair, her skin had a beautiful golden glow that she had acquired from the Hawaiian sun and was wearing a light blue denim short shorts and a red halter top to stay cool from the assaulting heat. From her hip Gibbs spotted the bud of a rose poke out from the rim of her waistband, he knew it looked familiar but scolded himself at the gesture. _Kate wasn't the only one with a rose tattoo on her hip. _

Horatio showed them his ID and was about to say something when the woman brought him up for a hug.

He went stiff and slowly and timidly hugged her back.

"Sorry, I have to play the part, I'll explain later," she said as she gave him a brief smile and let him go to led them into the living room.

Tony, Ryan, Eric and McGee all huddled in the middle of the room and spun in a circle to get the surroundings in.

Two black leather sofas adorned the floor of cherry mahogany hardwood, in the center of the room was a glass coffee table separating the furniture. At the far end was a handsome black organ at the foot of the lace-curtained window. A fireplace was built in the opposite wall beside a shelving containing hundreds of books, from medical, to mysteries and finally the odd romance here and there.

Gibbs was the last to come in as he closed the front door. She explained seriously that the living room was the only place in the house that they could be themselves but everywhere else was bugged. She let them settle in as she called for her husband and went to the kitchen to prepare some refreshments.

When she returned she bent over and placed the tray on the coffee table. As Tony went for a glass he noticed the charm bracelet she was wearing and nearly dropped his glass, his eyes went wide; for it was a unique bracelet that he had custom made for Kate for her birthday a few years ago, and seeing it on this woman's wrist, a woman who held a certain familiarity to her soft features but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Gibbs had taken a glass and while he was taking his first sip he noticed another color on her lower back and against his better judgment stare at it. As she leaned down to take the tray back to the kitchen her halter rose an inch and he had the whole picture of a Japanese symbol, curiosity got the best of him and he racked his mind for what it might mean, taking another sip he choked on it. He knew that symbol like he knew his job '_Semper Fi'_ was printed on her lower back! McGee and Ziva gave him a strange look when they noticed him choke on the sweet nectar; for they had not notice the similarities to their fallen partner. They were both interested in why they were here and why the rest of the house was bugged against them. Gibbs and Tony however shared a look indicating that both of them suspected the same thing when it came to this mystery Agent.

As she walked down the hall towards the opening of the basement/garage she was about to call again she heard the heavy footsteps coming up the steps and talking loudly.

"I still can't believe why you separate the bins hun," he said sweetly but had a hint of mocking sting to it.

She stuck out her tongue and held out her hand to him. He took it and gave it a squeeze.

"Come on, our company has arrived," the woman said with an added wink as she led him into the meeting room.

The whole room turned their attention at the opening and they all met the gaze of the two agents. When Eric stared into the man's steely blue eyes and his mouth dropped to the floor in disbelief and blinked twice. Ryan looked at the man and he too had a funny look on his face, he had seen him somewhere he knew of it, he stole a glance at Calleigh who was sitting on the couch and watched her look at the man with squinted eyes of confusion yet familiarity. He had short yet gelled-spiked dirty blond hair framing a pair of serious dark blue eyes that held amusement and some seriousness; he wore a red wife-beater that made his biceps come out bigger then normal, around his right bicep was a barb-wired tattoo wrapping around his arm and connecting underneath, he also wore faded blue jeans encasing his lower torso.

Then it clicked to Calleigh who he was, her hand shot to her mouth in surprise and her eyes began to well up with tears.

Horatio had paused before taking a sip from his ice tea and it hung there in mid-air. He too was concentrating on the man.

Just by feeling their gazes and expressions on him the agent knew his cover was blown and he had a lot of explaining to do on his part.

Horatio was the first to speak.

"Speed?" he said in disbelief. That sole word brought on more raw energy as Calleigh gasped and tears began to free-fall down her cheeks.

**Author's Note: **_Ohhh I bet you never saw that one coming lol anywho tell me what you think smiles sweetly and innocently R&R Brit xox_


	5. Forgiveness and Chinese Food

**Chap. 5**

"No," she gasped as tears began to fall, causing the NCIS team to turn and meet the stranger's eyes. Calleigh studied the man's face until he looked at his face guilty and only then did she know she was right. She slowly walked over to the man and looked at him for a second before she brought her hand up and slapped him across the face angrily. The man did nothing to stop it but his partner's stance stiffened and he had to put his hand up to stop her. He looked pretty much the same from the last time they saw each other a good 5 years ago except for the bleached hair, the tattoos and the biceps.

"How could you Tim?" she whispered loud enough for only him and the other agent to hear. The woman's eyes widened when she heard her partners real name and excused herself from the room to make a call. Gibbs's eyes followed her on her way out of the room and left to follow her.

Tony, McGee and Ziva followed their boss and headed out of the hall, all knowing about the bugs in the rest of the room, all except for their boss.

Ryan's eyes widened in turn when he realized who the man was, he was the fallen CSI he replaced all those years ago.

Tim took a step forward but Calleigh took one back and stopped when she felt a body behind her and merely turned around to face her boss.

"Cal I-" he started but stopped when the blonde in question ran into his chest and wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder. "Cal I'm so sorry," he whispered into her hair as he wrapped his arms around her fragile body and hugged her close.

The rest of the Miami Dade team all merely stared as the news fully sunk in, they didn't know what to do about all this. Calleigh lifted her head from his chest and gazed into his steel blue ones as he thumbed away at her tears and offered her a small smile.

"Is it really you Tim? It's not a dream?" she hiccupped reaching up her hand to his jaw and traced the lines of his face as if remembering her long lost lover.

"In the flesh," he said as he chuckled gruffly drawing a small smile from everyone in the room.

Speed still holding onto Calleigh looked around the room and met the eyes of all his former team mates and his successor.

"I'm really sorry guys, I would have told you but you know the Feds," he said running a hand through his hair.

Horatio looked at surprised but not completely blown away; his face as always remained unreadable and expressionless.

Eric still stared at him with his mouth still open in disbelief but then was quickly replaced with anger.

"Do you want to explain something to me Speedle?" he asked bluntly. Tim closed his eyes against the bluntness of his best friend's words and realized he deserved it. He gently let go of Calleigh and sighed as he took a step closer to Eric who began his rant.

"What Delko?" he said replying with as much harshness in his tone.

"Don't you dare use that tone with me! How could you do this to us, we were your family!" he yelled. Horatio put out his hand and Eric angrily pushed it away and walked into Speed's face and exploded. "You think we might've deserved a little bit of courtesy in knowing oh I don't know that you weren't dead!"

Speed's face contorted into something deadly when he too blew up.

"You think I would have told you if I could Delko, you think I like causing my friends misery?" he questioned but it came out harshly like an order.

Eric and Tim exchanged looks and the tension between them. Out of the blue Eric turned around and headed towards the door in a huff.

"I'm getting some air," he said and stopped at the door before looking over his shoulder and glared at Speed once more.

"Something else I can help you with?" Speed said a little calmly not even turning around but feelings his friend's eyes burning a hole into his back.

"Yah, what the hell did you do to your hair?" he spat before a grin exploded on his features. Confused Speed turned around to get caught up in a big bear hug from Eric. "It's good to see you Speed," he said letting go and shaking his hands before staring up at Speed's bleached hair.

The room erupted in laughter and chuckles as Tim ran a hand through it and shrugged.

"What you don't like it?" Tim asked mock offended as he crossed his arms around his chest. "Don't blame me, I needed an undercover look," he said before Eric enveloped him in another hug.

"We missed you man," Eric said near tears as he squeezed harder and was matched with Speed's strength.

"Me too man, me too," he said as he walked over to Horatio and held out his hand and looked at him in the eyes.

Horatio smiled lightly and gave the hand a squeeze and chuckled.

"You really have to do something with your hair," he said as the room erupted again with chuckles.

"Hey where's you partner?" Ryan asked and the whole room looked around.

"I guess by the sound of the voices downstairs giving her own explanations," he said as he started down the hall to where the voices came from; the beach.

X0X

The woman walked along the surf and waited for the phone to pick up, she was so enthralled in the dial tone she didn't here the sound of whispers and footsteps behind her from Gibbs and his team.

"_Name and Department please," _a female voice said when the Bureau answered.

The female agent looked out towards the sunset and sighed.

"Caitlin Ann Todd, Undercover,"

"_One moment Special Agent Todd, we're connecting you now," _the voice replied.

Kate sighed again out of impatience and turned around towards the house where she was met with the surprised glances of her team.

"Kate…" Gibbs said as Tony blinked and stared at her in disbelief. McGee stopped in his tracks and couldn't move. Ziva however joined Gibbs at his elbow and looked at he fallen agent that had captured the hearts of everyone in the building and now knew why.

"I…you…they," Kate couldn't form a phrase she had ignored the phone in her hand and continued looking at her feet.

"I saw you fall, you were shot, you died Kate," Tony said as he took a step closer and looked at the female agent that had basically became his sister in so many ways.

Kate swallowed hard and looked up to meet everyone's eyes in turn. Tony's she discovered were brimmed with tears as Gibbs were a dark blue, usually the same shade as when he was about to kill someone, and she knew she had it coming.

She was prepared for the yelling she wasn't on his team long enough to quiver at his threats and anger, but what he did almost killed her.

He turned on his heel and walked away back towards the house, his back stiff with raw energy and anger.

Kate watched him walk away first with clear eyes then with a haze of tears until she couldn't all she could see of him was a liquid blur.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered to the rest of the agents. "I wish I could have told you," she said as she stared at her bare feet. When all of a sudden in her vision were a pair of expensive Italian shoes she knew belonged to Tony. She looked up in his eyes and the corners of her mouth lifted up a bit when he gathered her in her arms and she felt her back being hugged by McGee.

"We missed you Katie," Tony whispered into her hair as she tightened her grip from around her waist. "And don't, worry Gibbs will come around, you have no idea how hard it is for him right now,"

Someone coughed behind the group and they all turned towards Ziva who was standing their a little embarrassed.

"Kate, let me introduce Ziva David, she's the one replacing you," Tony said as him and McGee loosened their grips and Kate slid out from between them and wiped her tears away. She put out her hand and introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you Special Agent David she said in her old ways; strong and confident, the traces of sadness had disappeared and had regained her professionalism once more.

"It's a pleasure Special Agent Todd, you're well known," Ziva said grasping the offered and giving it a powerful squeeze out of instinct, when Kate didn't pull back from the pressure but continued to smile Ziva loosened her grip and they began their way back towards the group making their way over.

X0X

Once back in the living room everyone enjoying either a beer or whine they all sat down ready for the debriefing of the case and for the two agents to clear up the shady parts.

"4 years ago a dangerous Terrorist Cell started a smuggle ring in downtown Hawaii. Special Agent Todd and I were chosen to go undercover and reveal those involved and bring them to justice," Speed said as he handed out copies of the suspects in the ring and passing them out to everyone.

"Both Special Agent Speedle and myself were 'killed' as a ploy to better ease into going undercover for our team's protection, and for the welfare of our offices. So when Speed was killed in the jewelry store what you saw was another agent from the Bureau shot him with a blank, causing a blood sack the Agency had placed beneath Speedle's jacket," Kate explained as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked into all the eyes of the Miami team while retelling the story of his 'death'.

"But I felt for you pulse it wasn't there I saw you die," Horatio said as he leaned over and looked at Speed.

"No you didn't, what you felt was the effect of a drug I had taken when I was shot, it prevents the feeling of a pulse, so basically it kills me for a short matter of time," he looked at his hands then back up at Horatio.

"I still don't understand," Eric said as he shuffled through the papers in his hand.

"I'll explain later don't worry," Speed said then looked over at Kate and jabbed her with his thumb. "Now her death was much more difficult," he said then paused as he saw Kate look across the room at her old boss who wouldn't meet anyone's gaze but looked through the file in his hands processing the information.

"Yah, ho w did the Agency do that? We saw the bullet, Our ME preformed the Autopsy, we witnessed her burial," Tony said as McGee nodded along with him.

"A dummy round," Ziva said from where she was sipping at a beer and looking at Kate for any reaction.

"That's correct, and a very good one at that, while Special Agent Todd took the bullet aimed for Special Agent Gibbs, both you and Gibbs were so engrossed in revenge you didn't notice a blood pellet both located at the tip of the bullet and beneath her hairline for when she fell. There was so much blood you instantly supposed she was dead," Speed said as he paused and took a sip of his beer before continuing in his story. "and no your ME did not do any Autopsy, when Kate's 'body' was in the ME van we switched her with a look alike agent a damn good one too," he said as he ran a hand down his face in exhaustion. "What you saw at her burial was a closed coffin, you had no proof she was in there, in reality both me and her were a few feet away surveying the scene to make sure it was believable," he finished. A second later Gibbs slammed his empty glass on the table and it shattered on impact.

"Why the hell Kate?" he roared, Kate closed her eyes from shame then opened them with rage.

"It was to bloody protect you Gibbs!" she screamed in return.

"Here we go again," Speed whispered as he pinched his nose.

"You know if this doesn't work out our lives would be perfect for a sappy soap," Calleigh said from her glass of whine and was met with small smiles. Tony, McGee and Ziva looked at the exchange from their Boss and Kate with awe. Ziva had heard that Kate was the only Agent tough enough to put up with Gibbs's bullshit and this was proof enough.

"I can take care of myself Special Agent Todd!" he roared and stepped into closer.

Kate marched up to him and stepped onto her tippy toes in his personal bubble and blew up just like her partner had a few hours ago.

"That's just it Gibbs, no you can't you're not invincible or immortal, you're human you have your faults and weaknesses, I was yours, I saw the way you looked at me whenever a gun was drawn in my face, when I had to use my gun to protect myself, or anything bad happened, this was the only way I could prevent you from falling and not getting back up again," she whispered harshly in his face.

"What are you my mother," he grumbled madly.

"No I'm your friend and care for you…all of you, you guys mean the world to me, you think that when I was at my funeral and saw you all morn me that I didn't want to blow everything and reassure you I was okay, and that it was all just a bad dream!" she exclaimed as tears assaulted her eyes and threatened to fall.

"You didn't trust us with this problem Kate; did you stop to think that we could have helped you?" Gibbs said softly as he dragged a finger down her cheek and wiped the rims of her eyes from the tears.

"You don't know how much I trust you all, but this was something that I couldn't afford to lose any of you, and it still is," she said and closed her eyes from being seen shedding tears. "I have half the heart in calling the Captain and requesting you to be sent back,"

Despite the fact that every pair of eyes were on them Gibbs brought Kate into his arms and hugged her for all she was worth, as if at any moment she would be taken away from him again.

"And you think we'll let you do that, we're involved the minute you decided to die on us," McGee said from his seat on the love couch beside Ziva.

"You have no idea how much pain everyone went through when you left them," Ziva said. "Gibbs wouldn't even let me sit at your desk until 3 months later and even then he wouldn't let me move anything from you desk," she finished, and smiled when she saw Kate smile from under Gibbs's chin. "Tony would always look over his shoulder to make sure I didn't insult you or bring up the subject, and McGee he wouldn't even smile for a month, Abby she didn't trust me, hell a part of her still doesn't and Ducky, doesn't tell half as much stories as he used to I hear," Ziva finished. Kate was now sobbing in Gibbs shoulder drenching his tee-shirt. All Gibbs could do was run his hands through her long hair and whisper calming words in her ear in hopes to calm her down.

Tony looked across the room and read the time on the clock on the VCR.

"Hey when do you Hawaiians eat around here?" he said to lighten the mood. Both teams looked over at the inquiring agent and the room erupted in uncontrollable laughter. Kate had settled down and was now on the phone ordering Chinese and Pizza for the bunch of them.

"It'll be here in 45 minutes or it's free," Kate said as she sat down beside her 'husband' and they passed out folders for everyone.

"Here are you ID's read them and memorize them," Speed said as he handed them all manila folders with their new identity's attached to the files.

**Author's Note: **Special thanks to CalleighRox for helping me write the bit with Speed in it at the beginning.

Hoped you liked this chapter please write me your thoughts. Brit xox


	6. Waves and Wishes

**Chap. 6 **

Kate tossed and turned in her bed that night, her eyes lingering outside her bedroom window. The cool Hawaiian breeze was billowing through white satin curtains causing miniature waves in the soft fabric. She let out a sigh when the look Gibbs had shown her earlier today came back to her mind. She pulled back the light sheets from her bed and carefully slipped out of her partner's grasp of his arm around her stomach as she tip toed over to her dresser and took out her long silky white robe with orange lilies on them and wrapped it around her snuggly before walking out of her room and heading down the hall towards the steps.

She bypassed the room where Tony and his undercover wife (Ziva) were sleeping, one of them' snoring could be used to direct ships in a storm she was sure. Passed the room were McGee and Ryan were bunking in there she heard the beeping and chirping of a computer downloading something and she smiled to herself. _You can take the geek away from technology but you can't take technology away from the geek. _ A little further down the hallway she reached the room where Calleigh and Eric were paired together in and heard muffled talking. She smiled a bit and remembered that her partner said Eric was a known talker in his sleep. At the top of the stairs her eyes were immediately drawn to the room there. She longed to talk to her old boss, she missed him a lot, missed the way he would order her extremely strong cover that she poured in the nearby plant every time he walked away, missed the days when he would share a smile with her and just to be there and listen to her when the time was in need.

She sighed and made her way down the stairs in a trance, this whole case was bringing up old feelings she had made herself forget a while ago, them coming here was like splitting an old wound open after a long time. She slipped through the back door and made her way down towards the surf, she always went down there to think on nights like these.

Gibbs was staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours.

"Why Katie?" he whispered to the ceiling fan hoping it would answer him, from the beginning he never knew how to cope with it all, for 4 years he had to wake up to another morning where Kate's smile wouldn't make his day all that easier to bear.

He sighed and grunted as he rolled over on his side and got out of bed to open his window, his room had begun to feel stuffy and he missed his boat. He pushed open his blind and was about to open his window when he saw a woman by the surf merely standing there, here robe billowing in the wind, he knew it was Kate. For a second he stood there looking down at her silhouette but his heart got the better of him. He scrambled over to his bathroom and took the robe off his hook and tore it on himself before heading out his door and down the stairs taking two at a time.

Kate looked down at her feet as the water rolled over them and buried them slowly in sand, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared out towards the black ocean and sighed. So many things were going through her mind right now, so many things she didn't know how to deal with.

She walked into the surf and walked along deep enough that her robe was barely touching the water and her ankles were submerged.

"Kind of late to go out for a swim isn't it Sara?" A voice came from behind her. She turned around with a start and her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Mr. Ramirez," she said as her training was slowly coming back to her and all the details of her mission coming into mind. Ramirez was one of the men she was sent to look over. He was standing at 6"5 with a dark disposition, from the very beginning she knew he was suspicious about her and her partner but tried the mask it.

The man laughed, yet his cold brown eyes remained unfazed.

"How many times have I told you to call me Antonio?" he said his voice steely and causing goose bumps to form on her arms.

Kate smiled a little for a second looked past him and saw the form of Gibbs walking towards her with a not too happy emotion on his face. _Damnit Gibbs! _She swore at herself and brought back her attention to one of the Smugglers.

"I should ask the same about you, what are you doing up so late?" she kept darting her vision back and forth from him to Gibbs who was now 10 feet away his stance stiffening. She smiled and walked past Antonio and met up with Gibbs.

"Who is he Katie?" he grumbled very lowly that the other man looking at him up and down and seizing him up didn't here.

"Antonio Ramirez, leader of the Cell," she smiled again and took him by the hand and rejoined the other man.

"Antonio Ramirez I'd like you to meet my brother Michael Ryan, Mike this is Antonio Ramirez from down the road," She introduced and watched as Gibbs once disturbed frown erased completely from his face and was now replaced with a cool air.

"Nice to meet you Antonio," he said gruffly as he grasped the other man's hand and gave it a squeeze.

Antonio grinned and squeezed back before withdrawing his hand and taking a step back.

"Likewise, I was about to ask Sara if she and Nate were willing to have a little formal get together tomorrow night, it's my son's anniversary and it's being held at La Riviera hotel, it would be great if you could make it as well as anyone else residing with you Sara," he said with a stiff smile. Gibbs looked over at Kate and watched as she seemed to roll that idea in her mind. Gibbs smiled tightly and nodded.

"I'm sure Sara and the rest of the family would love to," he said lightly and they both watched Antonio begin to walk backwards towards his own town house. He smiled and shot back.

"Great, it begins at 9pm, aloha," he said goodbye and gradually made his way back towards land.

"Do you mind telling me why you came outside and get mixed up with the likes of him?" Gibbs snapped sharply but kept his voice down for the benefit of not being overheard.

Kate sighed lowly and looked out towards the North Pacific Ocean and wished she could get lost in its waves. Gibbs touched her elbow lightly and made her turn towards him, but she wouldn't and couldn't meet his eyes.

"Katie?" he whispered softly. Kate swallowed back a sob and closed her eyes tight against an assault of tears.

"I'm scared Gibbs," she said slowly sliding her gaze onto the eyes that enchanted her all those years ago.

Gibbs tucked a strand of her now strawberry blond hair behind her pierced ear and kept his hand there slowly playing with silky strand. She tried to give him a smile but found that she couldn't. He might not know the new Kate, but the old Kate he knew what she liked.

"Come on, I'll make you some tea," he said as he draped his arm around her slim but solid shoulders and slowly led her towards the house.

When he reached the back door he held it open for her and looked behind him, his eyes surfed across the sand, skimmed the waves in case he say that creep he had met earlier. He walked into the kitchen and almost fell in love all over again. There was Kate sound asleep her head in her hands on the oak kitchen table, that same strand of hair he had tucked away earlier was now flittering on her cheek and he couldn't help but smile. He approached her quietly and slowly moved her body towards him and picked her up just bellow her knees and cradled her head with his collar bone. He headed up the stairs carrying her bridal style down the hall, every now and them looking down at the tough agent that now looked like a child in his arms and posed a small and delicate kiss in her hair before he stopped by her and her partner's room, he shifted her in his arms so that her head was in the crock of his neck, her breathing sending cool shivers down his spine. He twisted the knob and gently pushed his away in.

He walked over to the side of the bed that was bare and gently placed her in it; almost instinctively her partner's hand snaked his hand across her waist and brought her closer to him protectively. Gibbs watched this display with one eyebrow raised, and slowly made his way out of the room and hurried to his own.

As he quickly shut his door he leaned his back against it and closed his eyes letting out a sigh and dragged both hands down his face. _I lost her once, hell if I'm going to lose her again! _He made this resolve that he wouldn't make the same mistake again, and my god would he follow it through. He made his way to his bed, shed his robe and shuffled under his covers before stared at the wall separating their rooms and closed his eyes to finish a dreamless night.

**Author's Note: **_Sorry for the extremely long wait, I was without a muse for so long and found that since you guys made my day in reviewing the least I could do was give you another chapter. Love you all!! Brit xox_


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